Blue Bison needs a haircut by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Pete Oswald

Scott Rothman is a relative newcomer to the picture book scene, most likely to be recognized by his collaborations with Pete Oswald on The Underwear Dragon. Pete Oswald is much more prolific, probably best known for his illustrations of the fun food group books like The Cool Bean. Now, I have to admit that I, personally, have never seen the humor in either of these series, but they are hugely popular with the kids. Therefore I dutifully checked out their latest book and this one actually hit my own elusive funny bone.

In a reference to the early days of the pandemic, Blue Bison is shocked when he goes in for his regular hair cut and the barbershop, like everything else, is closed! Blue Bison, his wild blue curls getting ever longer, becomes desperate and angry. He tries to calm down by ramming things, by sneaking in to see his barber (who shows up in his underwear) and finally he wallows in frustration. When Bubble Gum Bison, his little sister, offers to cut his hair, the idea is so ridiculous that he laughs himself into a good humor and goes to bed happy... only to see surprising results the next morning!

The text has the quirky, dry humor that's becoming common in similar stories. Blue Bison references his "playground associates" explains the finer details of bison vs. buffalo to his barber, and the closure of everything is treated in a sarcastic, snarky way. Oswald's cartoon illustrations show the goofy bison, covered with long, woolly blue hair, galumphing through the story with dramatic reactions, followed by his hovering, large brown family and small, bright pink sister.

Verdict: This will appeal to fans of the creators' previous books and the surprise ending will elicit gales of laughter. It's less likely to appeal to an audience that has ongoing, traumatic memories of the early pandemic closures, but that's more likely to affect adults than children, since to most of them the initial parts of the pandemic are rapidly moving into historical fiction territory and Rothman's sarcastic humor will generally click with adults who are likely to pick up the title.

ISBN: 9780593428160; Published October 2022 by Random House Studio; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library